Tassels have been turned, caps have been tossed, and schools across Warren County have gone into hibernation for the summer.

It won’t last long. The 2025-26 school year will unofficially begin for Warren County’s athletes on Monday when the June workout period starts. If you pass by a football field or gym any weekday morning next month, you’re likely to see a beehive of activity as they prepare for the upcoming season.

At the same time, there are a few things from 2024-25 left to clean up, like all-star games, all-state teams and, locally, our spring all-county teams.

Over the next three weekends we’ll put last season to bed by honoring the best Warren County athletes in track and field, softball and baseball.

Track and field leads off this week, and there were plenty of worthy candidates for The Vicksburg Post’s Athlete of the Year title. Six athletes combined to win eight state titles, and three of our four high schools had at least one state champion.

The boys’ Athlete of the Year won more than anyone. Warren Central junior Dwight Palmer took the MHSAA Class 6A championships in the 100, 200 and 400 meters to become the first Warren County athlete in a decade to sweep all three sprint events.

For the girls, Vicksburg High’s Amiyah Hall and Warren Central’s Adria Burrell dominated the Class 6A sprint scene all season. They finished first and second — in some order — in the 100 and 200 meters 10 times in 14 head-to-head match-ups. It was almost impossible to separate their accomplishments and accolades that include one state championship each, so they’re sharing the Athlete of the Year crown.

The Post’s softball all-county team is next weekend, June 6-7. It wasn’t a great year for our local teams — none of them finished with a winning record — but there were still some noteworthy performances.

Warren Central maintained a high standard of excellence by reaching the second round of the Class 6A playoffs while replacing a half-dozen experienced starters. That helped cement Brian Ellis as our Coach of the Year.

Sophomore shortstop KeKe McKay, meanwhile, led the Lady Vikes in batting average and several other offensive categories while emerging as a team leader. She is the choice for the Player of the Year, and it’s possible it won’t be the last time.

Baseball will wrap up our spring all-county festival June 13-14. Warren Central infielder/pitcher Maddox Lynch and St. Aloysius’ Jay Harper are The Post’s selections as the Player and Coach of the Year, respectively.

Lynch missed the first 10 games of the season with a wrist injury, then roared back to bat .339 and be a top pitcher. The Class 6A All-State selection was a key catalyst for the Vikings as they shook off a 3-7 start to reach the Class 6A semifinals for the second year in a row.

Harper, meanwhile, guided St. Aloysius to its first district championship since 2014 and first playoff series victory since 2015. The Flashes had a 10-40 record in 2022 and ‘23, and are 29-30 in two seasons under Harper. They’re also losing only three seniors and appear poised for a lot more success under Harper.

You’ll have to wait a little longer to find out the rest of our all-county teams. Have to leave a little suspense, right? In the meantime, let’s offer a big round of congratulations to our spring athletes of the year and look forward to seeing the rest of their elite teammates in the coming weeks. They’ve all earned it.

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Ernest Bowker is the sports editor of The Vicksburg Post. He can be reached at ernest.bowker@vicksburgpost.com